Eight years ago, we traveled from Munich to Rome with a group of about 35 friends and family members from both the U.S. and Germany. After spending four wonderful days touring Rome, we spent only a single day in Venice. My husband and I immediately fell in love with this "floating" city. We were disappointed that there was not enough time to take a short ferry ride to Murano or to enjoy the many other sites. As we watched a giant cruise ship sail past Piazza San Marco, we vowed to return to this magnificant city someday in the future by ship.
In reality, Venice isn't "floating" at all. This historic World Heritage Site is actually built on a series of marshy outcroppings in a protected lagoon just off the northeastern coast of Italy near the towns of Padua, Mestre and Treviso. The entire city is built on 118 individual islands, separated by canals, but interconnected with bridges. The intricate system of canals is the only way around the city besides by foot. There are no cars allowed in the city, except for a limited area around the train station in the western part of town. Venice is separated into six areas or sestiere, Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Polo, San Marco, and Santa Croce, each having a unique charm, in which the residents take great pride. Ironically, the city is shaped like a fish, which is one of the most popular foods eaten there, especially saor, cooked and marinated sardines served with pickled onions, pine nuts and raisins.
Contrary to popular belief, Venice is not sinking. Between the months of September and April, it is somewhat common for Venice to experience higher than normal tides, called acqua alta, due to the combination of a lunar perigee during a full or new moon, low atmospheric pressure, and a scirocco wind blowing up the narrow, shallow Adriatic Sea, which forces water into the Ventian Lagoon. November, December and October are the most common times, in that order, for aqua altas to occur. Venetians are quite prepared for these annual floods and most buildings are equipped with sealed flood doors just for the occaision. Flooding typically subsides after a few hours after the tide recedes.
And, Venice doesn't stink. At least it didn't the two times I was there in May and September. And, other than some graffiti, Venice and its canals are quite clean. These are myths that do Venice a great disservice.
This past May we finally had the opportunity to return to Venice. Instead of just stopping in Venice as a port of call, we booked a cruise departing from Venice to Croatia, Greece and Turkey. We arranged the trip such that we had four days prior to the cruise to thoroughly explore Venice. Having seen all of the touristy places on our walking tour years before, we were determined to immerse ourselves in the culture of Venice and to experience it as a local would.
We found a wonderful hotel overlooking the Grand Canal, Locanda De La Spada. The hotel was an easy and inexpensive (~$15 per person) boat ride on the Alilagua Orange Line down the Grand Canal from Marco Polo International Airport on the Italian mainland to the Santa Maria del Giglio stop. The entrance to the hotel was only a short 15 yards up a very narrow alleyway, so there was no problem transporting the luggage. If you look closely at the photo, you can see where the flood door seals at the bottom of the doorway. The hotel staff was extremely friendly and helpful, and, although the hotel has no public elevator, our bags were promptly delivered to our room on the third floor, which is easy for guests to reach via a wide and bright stairwell. Rooms are situated on either side of a long, wide corridor where we enjoyed a fantastic complimentary breakfast every morning overlooking the bustling Grand Canal and we were serenaded by singing gondoliers just outside.
Prior to travelling, I learned that one of the favorite and traditional pasttimes of Venetians is to
pay a visit to one of the local small bars, or bacari, with co-workers or friends to enjoy some cicheti, small snacks similar to Spanish tapas, and a small glass of wine (ombre), Prosecco or a Spritz. No Bellinis, please. As the hotel manager explained, real Venetians don't drink Bellinis. A Spritz, which is a combination of fruit juice, Campari (bitter) or Aperol (sweet) and Prosecco, is the quintessential Ventian cocktail. Locals tyically have quick lunches at one of these bacaro during the work week, or enjoy a quick snack after work with friends. After doing a bit of research and asking our hotel Concierge for recommendations, we enjoyed bacari hopping, or giro di ombre, in various sections of the city.
Our favorite section of town to enjoy cicheti was in the "Jewish Ghetto" in the sestiere of Cannaregio on the north side of Venice. The best way to get around town is via the public water taxi, or Vaporetto. You can buy single or multi-day passes for unlimited transporation on what is essentially Venice's bus system, only it's on water. A scenic ride up the Grand Canal brought us to the Ca' d'Oro stop, just past the iconic Rialto Bridge. The Ghetto is is the area in which the Jewish population of the city were forced to live from the 16th-18th century. Made famous by Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, the Jewish Ghetto is now a pleasant neighborhood where Venice's small Jewish community still resides. The Strada Nova is a wonderful street to stroll down and do some shopping at much lower prices than in tourist-packed San Marco.
Our first bacaro stop was La Cantina where we savored the most wonderful aged Iberian ham, which was sliced using an ancient hand-operated slicer, and served with delicate little crusty rolls fresh from the oven. There was no menu, a common occurence in osteria less-frequented by tourists. It was fun to watch the chef busily preparing to order an array of cicheti behind the bar. It was like a Italian-style sushi bar. Add a wonderful glass of wine, which was recommended by our server, and we were in heaven.
Just across the Rialto Bridge in San Polo, and near the open air market, we visited All' Arco. This tiny bacaro had no indoor seating, only a narrow standing bar in the front window and is only open at lunchtime. The place was packed with Venetians getting a quick mid-day bite. Again, there
was no menu. Here, you selected from a variety of cicheti, all served on crostini, from the display cases on the bar. Much to my husbands displeasure, and being the adventurous eater that I am, I chose the one adorned with half a baby octopus. It was tasty.
Directly around the corner was Do Mori, the oldest cicheti bar in town, in operation since 1462. For only one or two Euros each, you can select from a wide range of "open-faced" cicheti or francobollo. Literally translated as "postage stamp," these crustless finger sandwiches filled with meats, cheeses, or vegetables, are the specialty of the house. For 3-4 Euros more, you can add a small glass of wine from a large list
on the chalkboard. The atomosphere in Do Mori is quite different than that other bacari with dark wood interior and copper pots hanging from the ceiling. It was definitely one of our favorite stops.
On our day in the Dorsoduro sestiere, we enjoyed popping into the bacari along the way. Our favorite was Cantinone gia Schiavi, at the Ponte San Trovaso. For only a few Euro you can enjoy several cicheti and a small glass of local wine. We also enjoyed pizza in a trattoria on the Campo San Margherita.
We took a day and visited Murano and toured a glass-making factory. Here we purchased a pitcher and drinking glass set decorated in festive Canival colors. It will be perfect for lemonade or sangria on our deck during the summer months.
Another quick ferry ride from Murano, we visted the neighboring island of Burano. This quaint and peaceful community was a breath
of fresh air from the crowded city. The houses on Burano were painted in bright colors, and the narrow canals were lined with restaurants and shops with much better prices than in Venice.
We did indulge in one touristy activity that we missed out on during our first vist to Venice. A gondola ride is a must to fully experience the romance of this beautiful city. Some areas are only accessible by boat and cannot be seen on a walking tour. Don't expect your ride to be cheap however. A thirty-minute ride will cost almost a hundred dollars and the price goes up after 7pm. You can also go all out and hire singers and musicians to serenade you as you effortlessly float down narrow canals and under low bridges.
One of the major surpises of the trip was that it is nearly impossible to get lost in Venice. With all of the twisting, turning narrow alleyways, you would expect to become hopelessly lost without a map. But, as our hotel manager assured us, it really isn't. Every alleyway leads to a Campo (square) at one of the many churches that dot the city. And, in every Campo, there are arrows pointing you in the direction of familar landmarks like San Marco or Rialto. Even without a map you can make your way back to a familiar spot from which you can easily find your way back to your hotel.
Meandering down narrow alleyways away from the crowded tourist centers is the best way
to experience this wonderful city to its fullest. If you find yourself on a crowded footpath, veer off down one of the narrow side alleys. The best restaurants are tucked away down the narrowest, darkest corridors, like the Vino Vino Osteria, a cozy little tavern near the Teatro La Fenice in San Marco serving seasonal Venetian specialties. The fresh caprese salad with burrata was out of this world.
Unfortunately, the traditional culture of Venice is fading away and the locals are not happy about it. Venetians have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with tourists. While most Venetians make a living from the tourist trade, they resent the negative impact tourism has had on their city. We saw several posters demeaning the "typical" tourist as fat and money crazed throughout the city. The protest is not without some merit. As properties become available on the market, they are snatched up by foreign investors and converted into exclusive hotels and restaurants. Such rennovation is rampant thoughout Venice, causing
housing prices to skyrocket and increasing the cost of living for the locals beyond what they can afford. The native poulation has been dwindling and is now below 60,000 in a city that sees over 20 million tourists a year. Instead of preserving Venice's rich heritage, many Venetians feel that their city is slowly turning into a Disney-like theme park, catering only to the fleeting tourists to the detriment of residents. Tourists flock to the foreign-owned shops to buy high-end fashion or junky souvenirs, while local shop owners, artisans and traditional osteria are left in the cold. Popular spots like San Marco Square and the Rialto Bridge are practically impossible to navigate during the high tourist season. Many Venetians blame the cruise industry and are demanding a limitation or even an all out banishment of cruise ships from their port.
The isolationist nature of Venetians comes naturally and is actually part of their heritage. Afterall, the vast majority of the original inhabitants of the city were refugees fleeing from nearby towns to the lagoon to avoid either the strong arm of the Roman Empire, or successive
waves of foreign invaders. Now the Venetians feel the invaders are the tourists. However, once a Venetian knows you are there to explore the traditions of Venice, they will embrace you with open arms and fill you in on all the best places to go and the best way to get there. To the cruise port, that means a private water taxi. Believe me, it was well worth the extra few dollars to leave this beautiful city in celebrity style.
Venice is indeed a magical place. And, even though we explored practically the entire city on this trip, we would definitely like to return to Venice again. Next time we will visit the resort town of Lido and the beautiful wooded park in Castello. And, giro di ombre never goes out of style or gets boring.